Sivut

Thursday, 2 March 2017

J.L. Runeberg statue

One of the most visible statues in Helsinki is the J.L. Runeberg statue at the center of Esplanadi park. Johan Ludvig Runeberg is the national poet of Finland, and was perhaps the most famous person in Finland during the 19th century. His statue was designed by his son, Walter Runeberg. Both were Freemasons.

Already during his lifetime, the Finnish national
poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-77) was subject to a personal cult and
glorification by literary critics. This left the younger generations of
poets in his shadow, raising voices of criticism. Runeberg's influence
and his adoration was not only national, but reached to the other Nordic
countries such as Russia, Germany, France and the UK, too.A year after Runeberg's death a committee appointed by the Estates,
with Zacharias Topelius as secretary, commissioned a memorial from the
poet's son Walter Runeberg, who was working in Paris at the time. The
sculptor's draft was approved in 1882 and cast twice in bronze in Paris.
The pedestal's Maiden of Finland, wrapped in a bearskin, was completed
in 1883. In her left hand, she is holding a table with the words of the
Finnish national anthem in Swedish. In her right hand she has a laurel
wreath, and a pile of books lies by her feet.
The granite pedestal also contains an inscription and the year 1885. The
poet Runeberg is depicted on the monument the age of 55, typically
dressed in a priest's coat (like the one he wore while teaching at the
Porvoo Gymnasium). His right arm is resting on his chest with the thumb
stuck underneath the coat, as if he were about to begin a speech. The
memorial contains no hint of the identity of the person depicted by it -
it was considered self-evident. Runeberg's statue was unveiled on May
6, 1885, eight years after the poet's death.

So, a committee headed by Zacharias Topelius, a Freemason, commissioned a memorial for J.L. Runeberg, a Freemason, from Runeberg's son, who was also a Freemason. Would it surprise you, if this memorial has some hidden in plain sight masonic symbolism?

Just look at the statue from above.

Statue surrounded with the shape of the masonic logo

The Art Museum's explanation for his posture is: "His right arm is resting on his chest with the thumb stuck underneath the coat, as if he were about to begin a speech."

Right. 'Cos that's how people always pose when they are about to give a speech?
That silly cover-up story tries to shift the focus away from the fact, that Runeberg is depicted with the masonic hand sign, called Lion's paw. This hand sign refers to the Lion of Judah- one of the most common symbols of the Cult of Aton.